Sheermal Bread Recipe

I have made these sheermal bread long time back. I almost forgot that I also had taken pictures for blogging as well, until I started clearing my laptop clutter and discarding some old pictures, specifically food related pictures. These popped up in my gallery like hidden gems. I tried to recall when did I make them, but couldn’t recall much except it was on a cold afternoon day. I happened to check the dates and it was almost 2-3 years ago, when we were still in UK. That old, Duh!! I know.

I didn’t post the recipe at that time either. I had roughly written recipe notes somewhere in my word doc as well. Now after all these time, finally sheermal recipe is now being talked about here. I always liked the sweet version of naan more, I mean sheermal more, as being a Bengali, we like everything which is sweet.

This recipe is apt balanced, not way too much sweet and not bland as well for us. This satisfied our cravings for sheermal bread at that time. Although I made it for lunch, actually now I recall it was late breakfast for us, more of a brunch time when we had devoured these beauties. We had it with chicken keema. That was a really very satisfying meal on a cold afternoon day. When eating sheermal, please don’t count your calories, just enjoy the flavours.

Now to the recipe

Sheermal Bread Recipe

 For the Bread

• 3 heaped cups of flour/maida
• 2 tsp of active dry yeast
•  2-3 tbs of oil/desi ghee
• 3 tbs of caster sugar
• 1 egg
•  ½ cup of Milk to knead the dough

Saffron infused sugar syrup

•  2-3 generous pinch of Saffron strands
• 2-3 tbs of sugar
• ¼ cup of milk
•  3-4 tbs of desi ghee/butter for garnishing the bread

Method

• Heat up ½ cup of milk for kneading purpose into a lukewarm strength.
• Dissolve saffron in ¼ cup of lukewarm milk and add in caster sugar to the saffron milk. Let it dissolve properly.
• In a big mixing bowl, add in flour, active dry yeast, oil, caster sugar, egg and lukewarm milk. Knead well all till they start to collect well. The dough should be soft and can collect well.
• Leave it to rest for 3-4 hrs or the flour has risen well.
• Knead the dough again for about 5-8 mints and divide the dough into 8-10 small balls.
• Cover the divided dough and let it sit for about half an hour.
• Roll each small balls into rounds with a roller but with gentle hands. The edges ideally should be little thick.
• Brush some melted butter over it and make marks with a fork.
• Set the oven at 175 deg C.
• Line a baking tray with foil. Place 2-3 rounds neatly and bake it for about 8-10 mints each side or they turn out nice fluffy and brown. Half way through take out baking tray, flip the sides of the sheermal bread and again brush with melted butter and put it back into the oven.
• Take out after 8-10 mints and sprinkle saffron infused sugar syrup generously and serve with butter on top.
• You may add toasted sesame seeds and chopped pistachios and almonds as well. I have used some orange colour with saffron syrup to make it look more dramatic, but it’s not that much required, you can skip it altogether.

Delicious sheermal is ready.Happy Cooking Friends.

Tava/Pan Fried Mutton Shami Kebab

I have been away for a while from active food blogging, as I had to tender and look into many personal matters and one of them being a relocation again. Now, I have lost the counts how many times I have relocated. But it feels like home coming to UK once again as per written analogy. Malaysia was a fabulous experience. Someday I want to go back again there, to relive our wonderful memories.

When we landed in UK, that same whiff of air hit me again, a sense of familiarity among unfamiliar faces engrossed into their smartphones. It took us for a while to get settled over here.

Let’s hope, I will try to update this space more often. With spring blossoms on full vigour and Holi festival coming up near, thought this will be a nice beginning for this space.

I had lamb mince and wanted to make some kebabs. This recipe was an impromptu attempt on my part and glad it turned out nice. I have used store bought spice mix just to enhance the flavour more. But if you genuinely want to make it from scratch, then I would suggest to grind all the spices in home. Otherwise in this busy world, I guess the store bought spice packets are very handy.These were like melt in mouths kebabs and also I have tried to use less oil to pan fry them.

Now to the recipe

Pan/Tava fried Mutton Shami Kebab

Recipe requirements

• Lamb/Mutton mince/ keema- 400gms
• Chana dal – 1 and ½ cup
• 1 big purple onion
• 3-4 big garlic cloves
• 1 medium size tomato
• 5-6 green chillies
• Spices and seasoning
• 3 tsp of coriander powder
• 2 tsp of cumin powder
•  2 tsp of garam masala
• 3 tsp of tandoori masala
• 1 tsp of cinnamon powder
•  2-3 tsp of red pepper powder
• 2-3 tsp of freshly grounded black pepper
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
•  2-3 tbs of cooking oil for pan frying

Method

• Wash the lentils and put it in pressure cooker. Add about 1 cup of water. Let it simmer on high flame, skim out the froth form the lentils.
• Now add in 400 Gms of lamb mince or mutton keema.Add in 1 cup of water.
• Chop onion, garlic and tomatoes and add them with the dal and mince.
• Add salt, red pepper powder, coriander powder, tandoori powder, and cumin powder. Check the water content, it should come up to the level of the mixture properly but shouldn’t be more than the content, otherwise the lentils will be soggy and that is what we don’t want.
• Let it cook for 2 whistles. Lower the flame and let it simmer for 7-10 mints. Put off the flame and let the pressure subside. Open the lid and let it cool.
• Take out the mince+ lentil mixture in a big mixing bowl. Squeeze out excess liquid with your hands.
• Now add rest of the spices- cinnamon powder, garam masala and freshly grounded black pepper powder. Adjust salt and hotness if required with red pepper powder. Add in finely chopped green chillies. Knead and mix the mixture very well.
• Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour so that the mixture gets firmer and it will be easy to shape up patties.
• Put a non-stick tava/skillet on flame at medium flame.
• Drop about a tsp of oil .Take out the lamb mince mixture and shape them into patties. This much mixture, I end up making about 17-18 shami kababs.
• Tava fry them for about 3-4 mints at medium flame or they turn and have a nice dark brown crust.
• Take out and serve.

Wish you all a very Happy Holi.